Woodside Bakery & Cafe
Categories: Bakeries, Coffee & Tea, Pizza, American (New) [Edit]
3052 Woodside RdWoodside, CA 94062 (650) 851-0812
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
56 reviews
Menlo Park, CA
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35 Reviews for Woodside Bakery & Cafe
This review is for the cafe...the food is pretty good. I think it tends to be on the heavy side, but you can get a lot of the sauces/dressings on the side. The bread is totally fresh (obvs) and it doesn't feel like you are sitting in a bakery.
We came her for lunch and it was soo good! Everything is made right in front of you in an open kitchen if you sit inside. They do have an outdoor patio you can sit for lunch as well. I love their lunch menu since you can get a 1/2 sandwich, salad or soup! I ordered the Turkey sandwich and it came with a cranberry like sauce, lettuce and tomato. It tasted so fresh and just GOOD!! I also got a 1/2 salad that had cranberries, apples, gorgonzolla and mixed greens that tasted DELICIOUS!! It looked so pretty on my plate! My hubby got the Spinach Salad and it was HUGE!! He was very happy!! The service was really quick and eveyrthing went well with our server.
After we had to get something at the bakery but we were full so we got a White Chocolate Fruit tart to go to serve for family coming over for dessert the next day! OMG this thing was TO DIE FOR!!! The pastery was buttery yet light with a layer of white chocolate and then tons of fruit on top!! Everyone was like this tart tastes amazing!! I highly recommend this for guests coming over or to bring to a party! I have to find more reasons to go to Woodside now!
Bleh?
Went there for Sunday brunch, and wasn't that impressed. We were sat in the back patio area (a lot quieter than inside next to the kitchen). I felt like I needed to whip out the bike shorts and jersey outfit that 60% of the patrons were using to fit in.
Waiter was nice... but not all there. We didn't receive our drinks until 15 min after we ordered our food. I ordered a custom omelette (4 items are free, rest after cost $0.50 - $1.00... I got bacon, avocado, mushroom, onions, and cheddar). My boyfriend got the mushroom and asparagus frittata.
Another long wait and we finally received our food. First off... frittata versus omelette: Fritatta, eggs with veggies mixed in, cooked in pan. Omelette, eggs with veggies mixed in, cooked in pan, folded over itself. That was the only difference between our orders. Wha? They also forgot the cheese in my omelette, and that just isn't tasty.
Since the waiter didn't ask for my bread order, I ordered a side of sourdough to go with my meal when it arrived. Waiter kinda gave me a weird look and said I ordered wheat. Umm.. no, don't really like wheat toast. Apparently my meal came with toast and he just assumed I'd get the same as my partner. Didn't matter much, because about 75% through our meal, we finally got the toast. I had to flag the guy down after everything was through and ask for jam.
The whole place seemed like it was really nice and would be a great meal, if things were coordinated well (and if they had better omelettes; I detest the omelette ingredients mixed with the eggs first). Bah!
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While on a long bike ride, my husband, friend and I decided to stop here and get some hot chocolate. Well...that turned into an early dinner.
The place is cute. The inside seating is small but they have a large back patio which is really cute. We ordered our hot chocolates first and right off the bat I was dissapointed. The server managed to spill one of the hot chocolates all over my husband who was wearing jeans and a white t-shirt. The whole table was filled with chocolate. I wasn't mad about it but dissapointed that no one else that worked there even bothered to help. Here this poor server was swimming in hot chocolate as I am sitting there laughing trying to help with my one napkin. But it got cleaned up and we decided to do a "Do Over" and start over again. We got our 3 hot chocolates and ordered some food.
My husband and I shared a pasta dish which was really tasty. It was super fresh and chocked full of spinch, beef, corn and squash. It was really really good. Our friend ordered a mushroom pizza. The pizza was stacked with mushrooms...just a little too much mushrooms if you asked him.
The bread they serve before the meal is really delicious--warm and toasty. We dipped it into the olive oil and balsamic vinegar that is included on the table.
Our waitress was cute and friendly and very attentive (except for the major chocolate spill that happened with the server).
I gave it 3 stars because I didn't feel the service was that fabulous plus we thought it was pretty expensive. The cost of our 3 hot chocolates, the pizza and a pasta dish was well over $50. Thats a bit steep for a cafe dinner in my opinion....but then again...this is Woodside!
So here's the deal.
I absolutely LOVE the food from Woodside Cafe. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner are all great - you just can't go wrong.
Why do I give it only 3 stars you ask?
...because the owner is a douche-bag. We have been eating there for years. Granted, he has only been running it for about 2 years +/-, but the guy never, ever, EVER acknowledges us as regular customers. EVER. He always makes eye contact and if he is anything like the rest of the world, he recognizes a face when he sees it often. He used to own another restaurant in Redwood City called Breakers Cafe but the new owners, Jim and his wife, are much better.
It's a shame...the food is pretty darn good!
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Cakes are good to order for special occasions. Coffee is decent. The patio out back is a great place to sit after a ride or hike and veg in the afternoon sun. I don't recommend the place for large groups. I have brought at least five here and think they do much better at four humans or less per table. It's crowded at times and hard to move around. I've liked the food. Service is decent. The folks are bike friendly. All in all a good place to go when the mood strikes.
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I just keep going back!
Bakery with yummy breads, pastries, cookies (say it like the blue fuzzy monster with me .. C O O K I E!), and the usual assortment of caffeinated concoctions. Small indoor seating area for the bakery. (Yesterday they had re-organized & moved the chairs & tables so that people could actually stand in line and get to the counter without sticking their toned, lycra-clad rear ends in a stranger's fruit tart ... this had always been a pet peeve of mine there.) Young friendly staff, but by no means 5-star service. Prepare for a little confusion & slowdown at the register.
Attached sit-down restaurant, with very pleasant outdoor seating in the back. Great venue for all sorts of scenarios, from Sunday brunch for two (make your own omelettes are my favorite ... with bread rolls that really hit the spot!) to group dinners. I usually think of Woodside Bakery as a place to go for brunch after a long hilly bike ride or run, but dinners are surprisingly good and pleasant.
Oh, and the place is very bicycle (and bicyclist) friendly, for which they deserve extra appreciation, especially in Woodside.
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Summary: Food wasn't bad, and the other reviews probably have it right as far as your average experience goes. We just had a horrible one.
Hours/Mins
00:00 We arrive and sit down.
00:05 We order.
00:45 The waiter comes back, and tells me the kitchen ran out of croissants and as a result, the whole order, including that of my dining partner, was never processed.
... so, we waited 40 minutes for him to tell us everything was held up because they ran out of croissants? He apologized and said the manager would come out and talk to us (which did not happen) and then the meal would be free of charge. I was going to write a four-star review about this place because of how sincere his apology was but then...
... they stuck us with the bill anyway. Sweet.
- K
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When invited over by friends for dinner, we often volunteer to bring dessert, knowing full-well how reliably good and easy it is to drop by the Woodside Bakery & Cafe and pick up something decadent.
We've had great success with their chocolaty cakes. They are delicious, and pricy but reasonable for what you get.
On weekends, this place is jammed up with cyclists and locals coming in for coffee and succulent baked goodness. Sometimes the line can be out the door, and the set up isn't necessarily the most relaxing, as it's tight and cramped as you make your way to the counter.
Good stuff.
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Hello dessert and carb heaven!!
Had a delightful lunch with my husband there and would definitely return for more. Upon entry into the "cafe," you are greeted by two walls of dessert sand cakes. I haven't had the pleasure of trying any, but if you're on a diet, run away!
The portion was generous and the food was fresh and delicious.
If you're in a hurry, don't plan to dine in a timely fashion during lunch rush.
One last note, parking was a bit of a bitch, but I'm sure that improves during off hours.
five stars because they are cyclist-friendly, and in the best location for a post-ride meal. Friendly service and never too long a wait, despite being busy on a weekend at lunch. It's always warm in there, literally and figuratively. The back patio is airy yet comfortable. This place is all about the ambience, and perfect for where they are.
The food quality and proportions are decent, but what I really want to tell you about is their toast with jam. This jam is special, it transcends all jams. It's really the apricot and raspberry filling from the bakery's fruit tart cookies, so it is very smooth and exploding with sweet and tart fruity flavor. I cover every surface of my sourdough toast with it. They know people love their jam, yet don't sell it in jars, and it drives me crazy... it's good.
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have some salt with your salt? we all had something different with a common theme of excess salt. a bit of flavouring is nice, but this was stupid.
used to like this place but we've done our last visit ever ...
I would give them 5 stars if i was only rating the chicken sandwich with brie and bacon and the rolls that they bring before the meal. Those rolls are beyond amazing. They're really out of this world. And the sandwich is perfect. I used to be addicted to the ceasar salad, but it hasn't been fantastic lately.
I have ordered other menu items, and most of the time it just seems like of disappointing and overpriced. The waitstaff is definately not a high point. They are rather business like and apathetic, and no matter how many times you come and ORDER THE SAME DAMN THING, they don't remember you.
Parking is a pain - the lot is almost always full.
I have been here for lunch several times and it is always packed. They have a good lunch selection of sandwiches, salads, pastas and even some entrees. I tend to get something off of their specials list and am never disappointed.
Also - bonus is their beautiful (and tempting) pastry display case which beckons you to pick something out for dessert while you are dining.
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Woodside is a cute, "woodsy," swanky little place in the South Bay. Like downtown Woodside, with its quaint, faux-19th century wood-front buildings, the bakery evokes homey old-time feelings but doesn't quite live up to those expectations. The pizza was just ok--very small and unremarkable. I ordered the quiche, which tasted a bit more like a frittata, but came with a nice enough Caesar salad and a mediocre and perfunctory tomato bisque. The desserts, which look amazing, don't quite live up to their visual appeal. My brownie tasted more like fudge and lacked the cakey texture I usually expect from a brownie. My husband, something of a cheese Danish connoisseur, was not impressed with the Bakery's version. He says nothing comes close to the blueberry cream cheese Danish at Hopkins Bakery in Berkeley. I have to agree with him.
And just to continue my diatribe against the South Bay's antipathy toward pedestrian walkways--why not have a sidewalk alongside downtown Woodside? I mean, really, are homeless folks and unsavories really going to figure out how to get here anyway? It's such a beautiful, tree-filled area, but one can only enjoy it from the inside of a vehicle. Bah.
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I ride my bike every Saturday and Sunday, and when I do a 50 plus miler its nice to break the trip up at a coffee shop. Most of the time we hit Starsucks or Peets at Los Altos, but on occasion we treat ourselves to the honey's at Woodside bakery, where you can get overpriced pastry and beverly hills 90210 attitude from the girls behind the counter. Down side is that we have to haul our stuffed butt's back another 20 miles home to Slummyvale... Only if I lived in Woodside... But then, if I did, I wouldn't need to ride my bike every weekend, right? Don't the rich and beautiful have some pills they take to keep skinny and young?
I would love to bring my wife and kids to this place for a proper lunch. May be the service will be better if I show up in normal clothes not covered in sweat...
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I've been here a zillion times and each time I have a completely different experience. The food is always good, sometimes great...like tonight. I ordered the salmon and it was fresh, light, and lemony. Desserts were scrumptious. But service desperately needs improvement. Food simply tastes better in retrospect when the service was good.
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I may be biased as I used to be a manager there but that was ages ago and its under new ownership now.
I think the ownership change is working out pretty well I haven't heard of any major changes which is great because you ain't fix what ain't broken.
It's a bit pricey especially at dinner now that I don't get my staff discount anymore, but the food is quite quite good.
The Bakery too is delectable and although pricey worth every penny.
It may not be the nicest fanciest place (The Pub, Bentleys) or even the funkiest (Bucks) or even the most fun (Little Store) but it certainly has the best mix of good food, decent decor, good service, and reasonable prices (for yuppie Woodside of course).
All the local Celebs (child actors, Oscar winner/producer writers, and even old folk singers) frequent this place and they keep coming back and for good reason.
Oh also this is a BYB restaurant (bring your Beamer). :-)
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Chocolate chip cookie - 4
fruit tart - 4
seasonal cookies - 5
service - 3
one of the impressive bakery/cafe concepts - they have a jaw-dropping selection of their baked goods from muffins, european cookies, croissants, fruit tarts, different flavored coffee cakes, danishes, and more. it is absolutely beautiful to see their bakery display case. i get an almond twist everytime i visit. their muffins are tasty and croissants dense with buttery-goodness.
you can eat on the bakery side and have coffee or sit down on their cafe side for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. they also have an outdoor seating area in the back. you can also watch the cooks cook and use the wood-fire oven. i've yet to eat lunch or dinner here, but their breakfast was pretty solid.
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***Update 1/3/08***
I was here a couple weeks ago. The service was horrendous. The waitress never came by. I had to walk up and flag her down. We tried like 10x time to get her attention. The food was still good, but we felt like we were invisible guests
***End of Update***
I grew up in the area and I love going there. The fruit almond tart is amazing! I love having lunch/brunch there. The bread is so yummy with the olive oil. The salads and quiches are really good too. My fav dish there is the Penne Sylvia. The sauce is really impeccable...creamy and oh..so good! The portions are a decent size. With all this talk of the Penne Sylvia, I think I need to make a trip out there very soon. I can't wait!!
I have had good meals and fair meal at the Woodside Bakery. The bakery part itself is quite good and has execellent coffees. As for the restaurant, the rolls are typically hot out of the wood burning pizza oven, and that's very good. I ordered the special, pork medalians, and I expect two things in a meat medalian...1) tender, and 2) lean. Also,the cut shouldn't be too thick. WB&C struck out on those three items because the cut was more like a pork chop than a medalian. Tasty, but a little chewy. I'm sure their other dishes are good, but this was a daily special. Despite the complaint, I'm sure I'll be back in a year or so.
Its a great place to go and grab a pastry on a Sunday morning. Watch out for the bicycle gangs though, they like to hang out on the front porch!
Dinner isn't bad either. Great focaccia bread & pizza!
Excellent little Woodside bistro disguised as a coffee shop. The pastries and coffee are good, but the sit-down dining is even better. It's a great weekend breakfast option with a less frenzied atmosphere and arguably better food than Buck's next door. The dinner option is surprisingly tasty and elegant but pricey.
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Yes, I agree with Geoff... it is a great little find one would expect to only have coffee and pastries and surprised to find good food. We stumbled into it when the wait for breakfast at bucks was more then we could take. The Woodside Bakery has a great menu and also serve wine and beer.... Mimosa anyone.... but we have only been here for breakfast.
They have recently changed ownership and have fewer tables (which doen't make sense as everytime I have been there, the place is packed. And they have changed the menu :(.... I am a little sad and our search for good breakfast on the weekends is back on.
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I live in Redwood City and have been going to Woodside Bakery for several years. I always loved the food there and the outside dining area in the back. But until the new management, I did not like going there because the manager and service was rude and slow. Before the new management, during the afternoon, after the lunch rush and before dinner, they would not want to seat my husband and I in the outside courtyard if we were only going to have coffee and pastries!
Well that changed with the new management and I just LOVE them!
My Husband and I got married in August and the first place we went to for our wedding cake was Woodside Bakery and they did not let us down! From our cake baker - Jesus to Jeanie and Jan (Jan is the owner's sister) - they were all wonderful and made us feel like family even! Jan even called me before the wedding to let me know of a design she found for a wedding cake and thought I would like. Now that is service! Especially when my wedding was a home ceremony for 30 people. And yet, she made me feel special. The food is amazing. We love going to lunch there. Jesus, the baker listened to what we wanted for the cake and delivered. My husband and I love this restaurant and would recommend it anytime! Thank God for the new management!!!! Three cheers!
Want to make a profit? Buy Woodside Bakery for what it's worth and sell it for what it thinks it's worth.
The cafe is pretty snooty; an elderly lady asked me what I wanted, and then she acted like I wasn't significant enough for her to care and pushed one of her underlings over to help me. I got an overpriced cup of tea and a scone, which looked better than it tasted. The cafe area is a little dirty and I kept getting the feeling they wanted me to leave.
Some of the other bakery items looked pretty delicious, so maybe your best bet is getting something to go and then enjoying it somewhere nice.
I've been to this place countless times, and I drive there from 35 miles away just to buy their cakes. That's just how good they are ! Their chocolate Napoleon cake is heaven on earth and my only complaint is that they often seem to be out of it. Their other cakes and pastries are a delight too but the Napoleon is just on another level or should I say it takes the cake !
My only minor complaint is that the waiter at the front desk in the evening is not too pleasant sometimes though.
I know they offer dinner and lunch but I've tried it only once and it's not enough to form an opinion. But for pastries and cakes, I know of no other place as good as this one. Now I must add one disclaimer, I'm mostly used to French/European taste in cakes which is a lot less sweet than what can be commonly found in US. So if you're into very sweet cakes then my review won't apply for you.
I struggle with what to rate this since I have been going here since the opened (before the restaurant). They have great pastries, cakes etc. My dad buys Christmas stollen from them every year for himself, family and friends and although I am not a big person on sweets the stollens are awesome. This is the gourmet/delicious version of the fruit cake (yes it is not something you recycle next year and give to your "friend" at the office or use as a door stop) it does not contain those awfully artificially colored bright green and red pieces of .... yuck! So to compare it does it injustice. Maybe like comparing a Yugo to a BMW. This comes from the germanic region of Europe and defines Christmas to me.
They have a very good and creative menu. Their cranberry salad with apples, gorgonzolla, mixed greens and a lot of things I do not remember is great (and the presentation is very well presenatable (do I have a way with words or what !)
They have a great outdoor area. My one complaint is the service is extremely slow. Otherwise, they are nice, accomodating etc but SLOW. This has been true every time I have been there. So be ready for a long wait after you order (unless of course you are blessed by the gods of service unlike myself and you don't have to anticipate like the heinz ketchup ad) - But after all this I would still recommend - just do not be in a hurry - Pick up the Palo Alto Daily - available outside Robert's across the road and do the crossword - maybe when you are done your food will arrive!
4 stars for the bakery, -1 for the food which wasn't bad but was just a tad overpriced for the quality. Service was good and our server was friendly.
Nearly next door to Bucks, the Woodside Bakery and Cafe has baked goods and a full menu with extra seating outside in a little patio well-screened from the back parking lot. Transit Man and I stopped by for a late lunch on 05/28/06 after visiting Filoli.
We both had the organic greens with an herb vinaigrette to start and followed with a pasta entree. Mine was a good wild mushroom ravioli with sun-dried tomatoes in a light cream sauce and TM had cavatappi with smoked chicken and some other forgettable ingredients. Unfortunately, both of our pastas cooled off too fast in the afternoon breeze on the patio. We shared a bottle of a very nice pinot grigio.
We purchased a meringue and a almond-y pastry with stripes of apricot and raspberry jam to eat later and they were quite divine! This is not a bad place for a full meal but I think Bucks, with more modest fare, would have been a better value for the money.
Definitely go for the baked goods and pastries!
The chocolate coissant here is one of the best I've had - worth a trip just by itself. For one thing, it's huge. Size certainly isn't as important of flavor, and you won't be disappointed in that department, either. The chocolate is rich and plentiful. Wouldn't be surprised if these things sell out on a regular basis - we got the last one this past Sunday at 10:30am.
Pancakes here also great after a weekend bike ride, but watch out for a line that sometimes goes out the front door. Turns out that the hundreds of bikers that for some reason enjoy pedalling up highway 84 discovered this place a long time ago.
I like cake! And I mean great cake. Woodside Bakery has just that... Great Cake! I hear the food is good there too... but I want none of that. Just give me the cake man!
The pastries and breads are delicious, but the full-service restaurant also serves up delicious meals all day. The pizzas and pasta are my favorites, but creative specials are always tempting and tasty.
I usually stay true to my love for Starbucks, but when you are wondering the roads of Atherton and Woodside, you don't see Starbucks kiddy corner at each intersection. I took a risk on the Woodside Bakery. I was pleasantly suprized for two reasons, the iced mocha, even in it's unmarked cup, tasted better than Starbucks and Peet's. Also, my biscotti was fresh and mighty tasty. Now I realize I have only visited once, so I may have to do a follow up review on this coffee. However, I also liked this bakery because they had a cute little back patio, and restaurant. The tables were all filled with happy lunch people and the food looked great. I rate this a three star but may wish to upgrade it if I can eat there soon. Thus far a great coffee and pastry stop.
Woodside Bakery is great for lunch too. Get there early (11:45 ish) if you want a parking place and a table in the sun on the back patio. The pepperoni pizetta is fabulous, and they have a delicious turkey sandwich with house-made cranberry chutney -- I highly recommend.
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